Lyme Disease High-Risk Areas Are Spreading

[orangeblossom]

www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/lyme-disease-spreads-government-report-finds-n392626


Lyme disease is gradually spreading from the Northeast and becoming more common farther south and west, government researchers reported Wednesday.



A county-by-county look at the infections shows it's found in four times as many counties now as it was in 1993, a team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.



It's not clear why - experts say climate change, forest regrowth and the spread of deer might all be factors. What is clear is that many more people than before need to watch out for the ticks that carry the infection, CDC says.



"Over time, the number of counties identified as having high incidence of Lyme disease in the northeastern states increased more than 320 percent: from 43 (1993-1997) to 90 (1998-2002) to 130 (2003-2007) to 182 (2008-2012)," Kiersten Kugeler of the CDC's center in Forth Collins, Colorado, and colleagues write in their report.



The northern coast of New Jersey is no longer a hotbed of new Lyme infections, but now east-central Pennsylvania is, they said.



Lyme disease is caused by bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi, carried by blacklegged ticks. It was first recognized in the Lyme, Connecticut, area in 1975 and it's spread from there to the northeast and to the mid-Atlantic and upper Northwest regions and elsewhere.



The CDC found high-risk counties in 17 states, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota.



Infection causes fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. The infection can spread to joints, the heart and the nervous system if it's not treated. On rare occasions, it can kill.



More than 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported to CDC every year, making it the most commonly reported tick-borne illness in the United States, the CDC says. But some reports have suggested it is far more common than that maybe as many as 300,000 cases.



Kugeler's team came up with a new method to identify high-risk counties, and they used it to track the spread of Lyme since 1993.



"Our results show that geographic expansion of high-risk areas is ongoing, emphasizing the need to identify broadly implementable and acceptable public health interventions to prevent human Lyme disease," they write in the CDC journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.



The team found that Lyme isn't spreading much in Wisconsin, staying in the same cluster of northwestern counties,but didn't determine why.



"I think everyone agrees that climate change has something to do with it (the overall spread)," said Dr. Alan Barbour, who wasn't involved in the study but who studies tick-borne diseases at the University of California Irvine, and who wrote a book on Lyme disease.



Barbour says many of the affected areas also have seen a return of brushy and forested areas as small farms have gone out of operation and the land returned to a more natural state. That, in turn, allows the return of rodents, which carry the infection and spread it to ticks, and the deer who help the ticks complete their life cycle.



In some parts of the Southwest, Lyme is less commonly reported than it was before, Kugeler's team said. That's probably because a different tick-borne disease, southern tick-associated rash illness or STARI, was being mistaken for Lyme.



"Patients with this illness have rash similar to that of Lyme disease, but the condition is not caused by B. burgdorferi bacteria," the CDC team wrote.



Treatment of Lyme disease can be as simple as a single dose of the antibiotic doxycycline or it can involve a three-week to one-month course of antibiotics, depending on how long it takes to diagnose after infection. Infectious disease experts disagree on whether longer courses of treatment are helpful. Up to 20 percent of patients have long-term symptoms, the CDC says.



There used to be a vaccine, but its maker stopped manufacturing it because too few people asked for it. The CDC recommends using an insect repellent that contains DEET, careful checking for ticks after being outdoors, and staying out of bushy, wooded areas.

[orangeblossom]

CDC Report



Figure. United States counties with high incidence of Lyme disease by the period when they first met the designated high-incidence criteria, 1993–2012. High-incidence counties were defined as those within a spatial cluster of elevated incidence and those with >2 times the number of reported Lyme disease cases as were expected (based on the population at risk).

[ESF]

Not to scare you all even more, but it is not just Lyme disease that is spreading. All tick-borne illnesses are, and there are a lot of them that are even worse. My sister was in the hospital for three weeks last year with some unknown disease. They've since settled on it being Powassan disease, which kills about a third of the people who get it. So far, she has not seen much in terms of lasting symptoms, but they know so little about it, that they don't know if there are long term complications.

Do not take risks with the ticks, people. You want bug spray, and lots of it. If you don't like DEET (and the risks of ticks are far scaring than the risk of DEET), you can use a bug spray that has at least 20% picaridin. There's not a ton of research on how effective it is at repelling ticks, but what there is out there, suggests it is the best DEET alternative. None of that natural shit is going to do you a lick of good, so skip it.

This article has a lot of good info.

www.slate.com/articles/life/the_kids/2015/05/tick_borne_diseases_are_spreading_fast.html

[LoveTrains]

HUGE problem in my area.

I went for a hike a few weeks ago with my BFF. I pulled a tick off my shirt while hiking.

We got home and my H pulled four deer ticks off me. One from each armpit, one from my groin, another on my stomach. All four had dug in and he had to pull them off with tweezers. They are SO small.

We watched for bulls eye rashes but luckily I seem to be in the clear.

Both of my parents have had Lyme disease and my mother claims to still suffer from some of the after effects. Hers was pretty advanced and caused Bells palsy before it was diagnosed.

[tacosforlife]

Fuckballs. I really want to explore those parts of Wisconsin. FUUUUUUCK!

[krisandgrace]

Jul 16, 2015 19:58:24 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

HUGE problem in my area.

I went for a hike a few weeks ago with my BFF. I pulled a tick off my shirt while hiking.

We got home and my H pulled four deer ticks off me. One from each armpit, one from my groin, another on my stomach. All four had dug in and he had to pull them off with tweezers. They are SO small.

We watched for bulls eye rashes but luckily I seem to be in the clear.

Both of my parents have had Lyme disease and my mother claims to still suffer from some of the after effects. Hers was pretty advanced and caused Bells palsy before it was diagnosed.

bullseye rashes appear in only 1/3 of cases of Lyne. DH never had a rash. If I pulled a dear tick off me I would get to a doctor and ask for antibiotics. After seeing what it does to someone who was delayed in treatment no way would I mess around.

[LoveTrains]

Jul 16, 2015 20:08:30 GMT -5 krisandgrace said:

Jul 16, 2015 19:58:24 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

HUGE problem in my area.

I went for a hike a few weeks ago with my BFF. I pulled a tick off my shirt while hiking.

We got home and my H pulled four deer ticks off me. One from each armpit, one from my groin, another on my stomach. All four had dug in and he had to pull them off with tweezers. They are SO small.

We watched for bulls eye rashes but luckily I seem to be in the clear.

Both of my parents have had Lyme disease and my mother claims to still suffer from some of the after effects. Hers was pretty advanced and caused Bells palsy before it was diagnosed.

bullseye rashes appear in only 1/3 of cases of Lyne. DH never had a rash. If I pulled a dear tick off me I would get to a doctor and ask for antibiotics. After seeing what it does to someone who was delayed in treatment no way would I mess around.

Hrmm, I googled extensively afterwards and I thought I had read that bulls eye rashes appear in about 65-75% of cases. I called the doctor and they said to just wait and see if I exhibited symptoms....now I am wondering if I should press more. I had bronchitis earlier this month (after I had my deer tick episode) and they wouldn't give me antibiotics. I am pretty sure my primary care practice really tries to not give out antibiotics at the drop of a hat. 

[zoegirltx]

Jul 16, 2015 19:56:31 GMT -5 ESF said:

Not to scare you all even more, but it is not just Lyme disease that is spreading. All tick-borne illnesses are, and there are a lot of them that are even worse. My sister was in the hospital for three weeks last year with some unknown disease. They've since settled on it being Powassan disease, which kills about a third of the people who get it. So far, she has not seen much in terms of lasting symptoms, but they know so little about it, that they don't know if there are long term complications.

Do not take risks with the ticks, people. You want bug spray, and lots of it. If you don't like DEET (and the risks of ticks are far scaring than the risk of DEET), you can use a bug spray that has at least 20% picaridin. There's not a ton of research on how effective it is at repelling ticks, but what there is out there, suggests it is the best DEET alternative. None of that natural shit is going to do you a lick of good, so skip it.

This article has a lot of good info.

www.slate.com/articles/life/the_kids/2015/05/tick_borne_diseases_are_spreading_fast.html

AndPlusAlso...I think all sorts of other diseases, bugs, plagues are spreading further south due to climate change & more mild winter.

[ESF]

Jul 16, 2015 20:14:07 GMT -5 zoegirltx said:

Jul 16, 2015 19:56:31 GMT -5 ESF said:

Not to scare you all even more, but it is not just Lyme disease that is spreading. All tick-borne illnesses are, and there are a lot of them that are even worse. My sister was in the hospital for three weeks last year with some unknown disease. They've since settled on it being Powassan disease, which kills about a third of the people who get it. So far, she has not seen much in terms of lasting symptoms, but they know so little about it, that they don't know if there are long term complications.

Do not take risks with the ticks, people. You want bug spray, and lots of it. If you don't like DEET (and the risks of ticks are far scaring than the risk of DEET), you can use a bug spray that has at least 20% picaridin. There's not a ton of research on how effective it is at repelling ticks, but what there is out there, suggests it is the best DEET alternative. None of that natural shit is going to do you a lick of good, so skip it.

This article has a lot of good info.

www.slate.com/articles/life/the_kids/2015/05/tick_borne_diseases_are_spreading_fast.html

AndPlusAlso...I think all sorts of other diseases, bugs, plagues are spreading further south due to climate change & more mild winter.

Yes.  My vet told me that a combination of the drought and unusually mild winters here in CA is resulting in a massive flea epidemic and they are growing resistant to flea prevention medicine.  

[cattledogkisses]

There were no ticks when I moved up here in 2004. You could run through a field of tall grass, go hiking in the woods... nothing.

Now they're everywhere. Thanks, climate change.

[orangeblossom]

Jul 16, 2015 19:56:31 GMT -5 ESF said:

Not to scare you all even more, but it is not just Lyme disease that is spreading. All tick-borne illnesses are, and there are a lot of them that are even worse. My sister was in the hospital for three weeks last year with some unknown disease. They've since settled on it being Powassan disease, which kills about a third of the people who get it. So far, she has not seen much in terms of lasting symptoms, but they know so little about it, that they don't know if there are long term complications.

Do not take risks with the ticks, people. You want bug spray, and lots of it. If you don't like DEET (and the risks of ticks are far scaring than the risk of DEET), you can use a bug spray that has at least 20% picaridin. There's not a ton of research on how effective it is at repelling ticks, but what there is out there, suggests it is the best DEET alternative. None of that natural shit is going to do you a lick of good, so skip it.

This article has a lot of good info.

www.slate.com/articles/life/the_kids/2015/05/tick_borne_diseases_are_spreading_fast.html

This.  CDC has a newly dedicated office for climate change and public health.  

It's scary, all of the things climate changes can do to health.  A big thing is more horrendous allergy seasons AND they start earlier and last longer.

[teflepi]

Jul 16, 2015 19:39:00 GMT -5 nursecramer said:

Jul 16, 2015 18:05:56 GMT -5 orangeblossom said:

The team found that Lyme isn't spreading much in Wisconsin, staying in the same cluster of northwestern counties,but didn't determine why.

Scott Walker has already sucked all the blood out of the state.

::ba dum ch!::

I Was just thinking these are all highly blue states/areas.  Dun duun duuuuuun. Thanks Obama

[ttt]

Jul 16, 2015 20:21:27 GMT -5 @mrsbecky said:

My brother lost his eyesight bc of Lyme disease. He got it YEARS ago. It's no fucking joke.

Part of the issue is that many doctors (even in an area like Maryland) don't recognize Lyme disease when they see it or they aren't aware of how it can affect a person.

And there is a vaccine for it but it was pulled for a myriad of reasons.

That's terrible about your brother  

A friend of mine has been dealing with Lyme disease for years, and it's terrible. I had no idea it was so serious until I saw what she's been going through. 

[LoveTrains]

Jul 16, 2015 20:21:27 GMT -5 @mrsbecky said:

My brother lost his eyesight bc of Lyme disease. He got it YEARS ago. It's no fucking joke.

Part of the issue is that many doctors (even in an area like Maryland) don't recognize Lyme disease when they see it or they aren't aware of how it can affect a person.

And there is a vaccine for it but it was pulled for a myriad of reasons.

I give my dog the vaccine!!

[ESF]

Jul 16, 2015 20:21:27 GMT -5 @mrsbecky said:

My brother lost his eyesight bc of Lyme disease. He got it YEARS ago. It's no fucking joke.

Part of the issue is that many doctors (even in an area like Maryland) don't recognize Lyme disease when they see it or they aren't aware of how it can affect a person.

And there is a vaccine for it but it was pulled for a myriad of reasons.

Yeah, the doctors were clueless when my sister came in, and she was seen by a tick-borne illness specialist at one of the largest hospitals in New England.  They ran zillions of tests.  They finally just threw their hands up in the air and were like, "Welp, here's the meds we use to treat Lyme and some other tick illnesses, hopefully this will work!"  It was not until months later that she read an article about ticks that she learned about Powassan, and they agreed that that's likely what she had, given the fact that she had a stiff neck (which is apparently a common symptom of it) and they had ruled out so many other things.

I'm really sorry about your brother. That is awful.

[Scout'sHonor]

Next to New England, Minnesota is the next biggest hot spot, followed by No CA. Some other coworkers just spent most of June doing tick drags in MN to find prevalence. And yes, it's not just Lyme; STARI, heartland, and powassan are all nasty.

www.cdc.gov/ticks/diseases/

[orangeblossom]

Jul 16, 2015 22:30:41 GMT -5 Scout'sHonor said:

MY PEOPLE! No really, the authors in orangeblossom 's link work a floor below me

Next to New England, Minnesota is the next biggest hot spot, followed by No CA. Some other coworkers just spent most of June doing tick drags in MN to find prevalence. And yes, it's not just Lyme; STARI, heartland, and powassan are all nasty.

www.cdc.gov/ticks/diseases/

Neat!

[auntie]

Jul 16, 2015 20:12:11 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

Jul 16, 2015 20:08:30 GMT -5 krisandgrace said:

bullseye rashes appear in only 1/3 of cases of Lyne. DH never had a rash. If I pulled a dear tick off me I would get to a doctor and ask for antibiotics. After seeing what it does to someone who was delayed in treatment no way would I mess around.

Hrmm, I googled extensively afterwards and I thought I had read that bulls eye rashes appear in about 65-75% of cases. I called the doctor and they said to just wait and see if I exhibited symptoms....now I am wondering if I should press more. I had bronchitis earlier this month (after I had my deer tick episode) and they wouldn't give me antibiotics. I am pretty sure my primary care practice really tries to not give out antibiotics at the drop of a hat. 

The CDC claims that transmission of Lyme requires the tick to feed for 36-48 hours. If you know when you picked them up, you're probably OK.

I picked one up last month and knew it had been a couple days. I did the 21 day course of Doxycycline which made me feel like shit for 3 weeks. My stomach still isn't "normal".


www.cdc.gov/lyme/transmission/

[IIOY]

Jul 16, 2015 21:19:29 GMT -5 orangeblossom said:

;A big thing is more horrendous allergy seasons AND they start earlier and last longer.

Yes, ask me about this and prepare for intense whining.

My uncle has Lyme. His memory is failing something fierce and his mental faculties are deteriorating overall. It's incredibly sad to watch him become a shell of what he was.

[LoveTrains]

Jul 17, 2015 6:49:52 GMT -5 auntie said:

Jul 16, 2015 20:12:11 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

Hrmm, I googled extensively afterwards and I thought I had read that bulls eye rashes appear in about 65-75% of cases. I called the doctor and they said to just wait and see if I exhibited symptoms....now I am wondering if I should press more. I had bronchitis earlier this month (after I had my deer tick episode) and they wouldn't give me antibiotics. I am pretty sure my primary care practice really tries to not give out antibiotics at the drop of a hat. 

The CDC claims that transmission of Lyme requires the tick to feed for 36-48 hours. If you know when you picked them up, you're probably OK.

I picked one up last month and knew it had been a couple days. I did the 21 day course of Doxycycline which made me feel like shit for 3 weeks. My stomach still isn't "normal".


www.cdc.gov/lyme/transmission/

Oh thanks. I only had the ticks on for less than 8 hours. I am 99% sure I picked them up on the hike, and then my husband found them that evening when we undressed for bed and I asked him to check me. 

[msmerymac]

Pretty sure I found a tiny tick in my bathroom a few weeks ago. And I live in one of those counties that's black.

[cap]

Yikes - luckily, my immediate area isn't in the high-incidence group, but some counties very close to me are.

[Scout'sHonor]

They're starting to think 12-24hrs is a better estimate of transmission.

[keyslover]

Jul 17, 2015 6:49:52 GMT -5 auntie said:

Jul 16, 2015 20:12:11 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

Hrmm, I googled extensively afterwards and I thought I had read that bulls eye rashes appear in about 65-75% of cases. I called the doctor and they said to just wait and see if I exhibited symptoms....now I am wondering if I should press more. I had bronchitis earlier this month (after I had my deer tick episode) and they wouldn't give me antibiotics. I am pretty sure my primary care practice really tries to not give out antibiotics at the drop of a hat. 

The CDC claims that transmission of Lyme requires the tick to feed for 36-48 hours. If you know when you picked them up, you're probably OK.

I picked one up last month and knew it had been a couple days. I did the 21 day course of Doxycycline which made me feel like shit for 3 weeks. My stomach still isn't "normal".


www.cdc.gov/lyme/transmission/

Transmission times are controversial. Just because they were on you for 8 hours doesn't mean they weren't attached to something/someone else for 16 hours.

[keyslover]

Jul 17, 2015 7:02:09 GMT -5 IIOY said:

Jul 16, 2015 21:19:29 GMT -5 orangeblossom said:

;A big thing is more horrendous allergy seasons AND they start earlier and last longer.

Yes, ask me about this and prepare for intense whining.

My uncle has Lyme. His memory is failing something fierce and his mental faculties are deteriorating overall. It's incredibly sad to watch him become a shell of what he was.

This is what is happening to my husband.

[keyslover]

I am happy to see more awareness. I hope more doctors will treat early stages adequately.

Tick Borne Illness is no joke. It can destroy lives. Nope, I am not being dramatic either.

[Vespasia]

I mentioned this before but the area where our family summer cottage is in eastern CT has a serious tick problem. 3 people have had tick bourne illnesses in the last few years and my BIL missed our wedding due to Lyme.

I always used to think my sister's paranoia about ticks was overblown but not anymore. I had 2 tick bites over the 4th and one had a 3" red circular welt around it. I doubt it was on long enough to transmit anything but I am still taking doxy just in case.

[shauni27]

Jul 16, 2015 20:22:42 GMT -5 cattledogkisses said:

There were no ticks when I moved up here in 2004. You could run through a field of tall grass, go hiking in the woods... nothing.

Now they're everywhere. Thanks, climate change.

Growing up in NH as a kid I saw one tick in my life.  Now you can legit get a tick walking in your back yard.  My H gets ticks REGULARLY, but fortunately we always find them before they are too far in.  They creep me the fuck out, man.

[cattledogkisses]

Jul 17, 2015 11:27:26 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

Jul 16, 2015 20:22:42 GMT -5 cattledogkisses said:

There were no ticks when I moved up here in 2004. You could run through a field of tall grass, go hiking in the woods... nothing.

Now they're everywhere. Thanks, climate change.

Growing up in NH as a kid I saw one tick in my life.  Now you can legit get a tick walking in your back yard.  My H gets ticks REGULARLY, but fortunately we always find them before they are too far in.  They creep me the fuck out, man.

Interesting.  Where did you grow up?  I grew up in the Merrimack Valley, and I remember going for a walk once and coming in with 13 ticks on me.  *shudder*

[downtoearth]

Luckily we're a lower area for Lyme disease b/c I've pulled 3 ticks off my youngest kid this year - two embedded, one just roaming, but I still worry. I have also had 3 roamers on myself too.

A close family friend got lyme disease (they think) in the NE US and then went to live in Germany for 4 months. It took the German doctors awhile to figure out that it was lyme disease and he was REALLY sick.

However, I am not a fan of DEET - I know I should be, but it is showing up in groundwater and surface water samples far from where people usually are and routinely where they do live (all around the world).  Plus it is not fully filtered out of wastewater systems, so it gets more concentrated down gradient. It's not as big of problem for humans at it's low levels, but it will be later and is a problem for aquatic ecosystems, especially amphibians and fish. I wish someone would figure out another way.